Sask. harvest slow
Saskatoon newsroom
Cold weather slowed harvest progress across the province last week. As of Oct. 4, harvest was 81 percent complete, compared with 66 percent a week earlier, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture.
While harvest is behind the five-year average of 89 percent, it’s not as bad as 1996, when only 55 percent of the crop had been combined by this time.
Combining of all crops except oats, flax, sunflowers and canaryseed is at least 80 percent complete. The crop is at least half done in all crop districts, ranging from 100 percent in the southwest to 50 percent in the southeast.
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Eighty-three percent of the spring wheat has been harvested, of which 56 percent expected to grade No. 1 CWRS, 25 percent No. 2, 13 percent No. 3 and six percent Canada Feed. Those numbers will change as late harvested crops are added to the mix.
Hard frosts were received in most areas of the province during the past week and immature crops will suffer serious damage. Strong winds also wreaked havoc in some areas, scattering swaths and shelling out crops.
Cold hits Alberta
Camrose bureau
Cold, wet, snowy, miserable weather put a stop to harvest in Alberta. The combination of wet fields and cool days and nights will delay harvest for a few more days. The wet weather was more of a hassle than a help to farmers wanting rain for their dugouts and to replenish soil moisture. In general, farmers have made a good dent in harvest and are on the downhill swing and should be done in two weeks. Across the province, about half of the hard red spring wheat is harvested, about two-thirds of the winter wheat and 75 percent of the fall rye. About 60 percent of the barley and canola have been harvested.
In the central area, farmers need a good two weeks. Frost affected some late-seeded crops. Pastures are mainly in good condition. Some fall work has been done.
In the northeast, yields range from below to well-above average. There are poor hay and crop yields around Lac La Biche and high canola yields reported around Sedgewick.
In the northwest hay yields are below average and there are a lot of green oat and barley fields around Drayton Valley. Second cut hay seems to be coming off in good condition.
In the Peace, farmers have finished harvesting, but with poor results. Yields are about half of normal because of two dry years in a row.
In the south, harvest is nearly complete and fall work has begun.
Man. harvest almost done
Winnipeg bureau
Manitoba’s harvest is almost finished. But in areas where farmers still need some time, the cool, cloudy weather last week was not helpful.
There were several frosty nights, and 50 to 75 millimetres of snow north of Riverton in the Interlake.
Strong winds last Thursday caused some canola, flax and alfalfa seed swaths to roll. Late-seeded crops are still green in western Manitoba.
Grades have been hurt for farmers around Grandview, south of McCreary, Gladstone, Pilot Mound, Lundar and Ashern.
Some farmers in southwestern Manitoba are only half finished harvest.
Yields have been all over the map.
Barley bushel weights in the region appear to be lower than normal.
Farmers are almost finished digging potatoes.
Field bean harvest is about 80 percent complete in central Manitoba, with yields of more than 2,000 pounds per acre.
Farmers are finished harvesting silage corn and were to start grain corn this week.
After several frosts, sunflowers have dried down, and farmers expected to be able to start harvesting this week.
Farmers in the southwest have just started fall work. Around Starbuck, Carman and Treherne, farmers are applying fertilizer.
